Hamas gunmen killed five of their own combatants in an ambush on a Fatah vehicle that had been carrying Hamas detainees, Fatah officials said Wednesday. Also killed were two members of the Fatah-affiliated Preventive Security force that had been guarding the detained Hamas members, the officials said.

WASHINGTON, April 15, 2007 – Coalition forces killed and captured several extremists in Afghanistan over the past few days, U.S. military officials reported. Coalition forces detained an extremist and discovered makeshift bomb-making material in a compound in Afghanistan’s Paktika province today. The compound consisted of multiple safe houses that use natural terrain to facilitate the movement of fighters from Pakistan. The bomb-making materials were destroyed in place. No shots were fired and no one was injured during the operation, officials said. Meanwhile, Afghan National Army and coalition troops operating in Afghanistan’s Helmand province received rocket-propelled grenade and small-arms fire...

A Border Patrol agent shot and killed a man who threatened him with a softball-sized rock at the border, the agency said Tuesday. The agent fired an M-4 assault rifle at the man, who had escaped from a scuffle with another agent as he tried to run back into Mexico, said Border Patrol spokesman David Kim. The victim, whose name, nationality and immigration status were not released by U.S. authorities, was pronounced dead from one bullet wound at El Centro Regional Medical Center after the incident Monday. Kim said he did not know where the man was struck. Pablo Arnaud...

BAGHDAD, Iraq - A suicide car bomber struck a police checkpoint Wednesday in the Shiite holy city of Najaf, killing at 13 people in the spiritual heartland of the militia factions led by radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. U.S. forces, meanwhile, investigated the "hard landing" of a Black Hawk helicopter north of Baghdad. Military spokesman Maj. Gen. William Caldwell said the airmen were picked up by rescuers, but gave no further details. At least seven U.S. helicopters have crashed or been forced down by hostile fire in the past month, killing 28 troops and civilians. Meanwhile, Britain outlined its plan to...

Helicopter crash claims life of first 11th Signal Brigade soldier BY BILL HESSSpecialist Charlie Harris speaks Wednesday on Fort Huachuca about his friend Cpl. Victor M. Langarica, who was killed in a helicopter crash in Iraq. (Mark Levy-Herald/Review) Herald/Review FORT HUACHUCA â€” The 11th Signal Brigade lost its first soldier in Iraq when an Army helicopter crashed on Saturday. To the Army buddies of Cpl. Victor M. Langarica, a wheeled-vehicle mechanic with Bravo Company of the 86th Signal Battalion, the loss was akin to the death of a family member. Of those who knew the soldier, he was more...

It sounds almost too good to be true: a cheap and simple drug that kills almost all cancers by switching off their “immortality”. The drug, dichloroacetate (DCA), has already been used for years to treat rare metabolic disorders and so is known to be relatively safe. It also has no patent, meaning it could be manufactured for a fraction of the cost of newly developed drugs. Evangelos Michelakis of the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada, and his colleagues tested DCA on human cells cultured outside the body and found that it killed lung, breast and brain cancer cells, but...

WASHINGTON, Dec. 6, 2006 -- A coalition air strike killed a terrorist near Khanaqin, Iraq, and Iraqi soldiers responded to two bombings in Baghdad today, military officials reported. The coalition aircraft was leaving a raid that targeted foreign fighter facilitators when it received small-arms fire from a vehicle, official said. Coalition forces returned fire, destroying the vehicle and killing the armed terrorist. Ground forces detained a suspected terrorist during the raid. Iraqi soldiers responded to two bombings in Baghdad today. Soldiers from the 3rd Battalion, 2nd Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army Division, who work with the 2nd Brigade, 2nd Infantry...

WASHINGTON, Nov. 26, 2006 – Coalition forces conducted several operations yesterday that resulted in the deaths of 26 insurgents, and supported an Iraqi tribe under attack by al Qaeda today, military officials in Iraq announced. Al Qaeda terrorists attacked the Abu Soda tribe in Sofia today, officials reported. After establishing positive identification, coalition forces conducted air strikes and fired artillery at al Qaeda forces in support of the tribe. The insurgents attacked through a tribal area checkpoint and engaged the Abu Soda, burning homes and killing tribe members using small-arms fire and mortars. Both al Qaeda and the Abu...

Reflecting a year of cooperation with Democratic lawmakers, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger marked the end of the legislative bill-signing period Saturday, vetoing bills at a lower rate than in the first two years of his term and approving several measures he had previously rejected. The flurry of last-minute signings came as analysts said Schwarzenegger has taken more moderate public positions this year and departed from the more conservative and strident tone of last fall's special election campaign. "The signing decisions are more reminiscent of 2004 than 2005," said Tim Hodson, executive director of the Center for California Studies at California State...

Al-Qaeda chief kills Turkish hostage on film By Paul Willis (Filed: 24/09/2006) A video purporting to show the new leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq murdering a Turkish hostage has appeared on the internet. If authentic, the recording would be the first known footage of Abu Ayyoub al-Masri, a Sunni Muslim who is said to have assumed leadership of the organisation after the death of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi in an American airstrike in June. The items were posted on Friday night with a statement identifying Masri, also known as Abu Hamza al-Muhajer, as the executioner. Masri appears flanked by two men...

Scottish mineral water 'kills cancer cells' By Auslan Cramb, Scottish Correspondent (Filed: 13/09/2006) The water of life – or “uisge beatha” in Gaelic - is a euphemism for whisky, but another Highland drink has been shown to have a more valid claim to the title. The water, sourced from near Balmoral Castle, has been said to possess healing qualities since 1760 A mineral water taken from wells near the Queen’s Balmoral Castle can help to slow the spread of cancer, according to scientists. Tests on Deeside Mineral Water suggest that it inhibits the growth of certain cancerous cells and kills...

An Assembly committee killed legislation Thursday that would have required the California Energy Commission to analyze and rank four existing proposals to import liquefied natural gas into the state. In the absence of such a comparative statewide review, environmentalists argued, Californians will be stuck with whichever proposal wins the race to first gain a federal permit. The bill, SB426, was first proposed last year but was resurrected as lawmakers neared the end of their session because all the LNG proposals — including two off the Oxnard coast — remain stalled in the federal regulatory process. After a brief and hastily...

WASHINGTON, August 4, 2006 – Three Iraqi civilians were killed, and nine were injured yesterday when insurgents fired a mortar round at a residential area in Ubaydi, Iraq, U.S. military officials reported. The mortar round landed directly on a home. No coalition personnel were killed or injured in the attack. All nine injured Iraqi civilians were immediately medically evacuated to a nearby U.S. military medical facility. The wounded civilians’ exact condition is unknown, but four were listed as requiring “urgent surgical” medical care, officials said. Marine Corps officials said the attack was intended to strike a nearby coalition forces outpost....

WASHINGTON, July 17, 2006 – Initial reports indicate 40 Iraqi citizens were killed and 90 wounded today when terrorists stormed a market area near the Mohammed Al Amin Mosque in Mahmudiya, Iraq, military officials reported. Iraqi security forces and soldiers from Multinational Division Baghdad immediately responded to the attack. Soldiers from 2nd Battalion, 4th Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army Division, responded to explosions in the area at about 9:15 a.m. The troops began taking small-arms fire from unknown assailants southwest of the mosque while they performed a cordon-and-search operation for a suspicious vehicle in the neighborhood. Meanwhile, U.S. soldiers from 1st...

WASHINGTON, July 17, 2006 – A suicide bomb attack in the Gardez district Afghanistan's of Paktia province killed five people and wounded up to 22 others, mostly innocent civilians, yesterday, military officials reported. An extremist armed with a suicide vest detonated his explosives as an Afghan National Army patrol approached. One Afghan soldier and four Afghan civilians were killed in the blast. Two Afghan soldiers and up to 20 more innocent Afghan civilians were wounded by the explosion and transported to a local hospital for treatment. Several vehicles and structures also were damaged. A coalition quick reaction force and explosive...

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip - Israeli warplanes killed six people in an attack early Wednesday on a Gaza City meeting of Hamas commanders, Israelis and Palestinians said, while Israel's military expanded an offensive in the region with an incursion in the southern Gaza Strip. The military said it attacked the Gaza City residence because it was a "meeting place for terrorists." It also confirmed Israeli forces were operating in southern Gaza as part of an effort to win the release of a captured soldier. With tanks and troops on the move in the south, a huge explosion destroyed the house...

Father kills 4 children, self after spousal disputeAssociated Press Posted on Wed, Jul. 05, 2006 An undated photo provided by the Gustine Police Department shows twins Alyssa Branscum, 5, left, and Taylor Branscum. The twins and their two other siblings were found dead in their Gustine, Calif., home Tuesday, July 4, 2006, officials said. The children apparently died of gunshots to the head, and their father, Trevor Branscum, 38, died of a self-inflicted wound, Mayor Jim Bonta said. Police Sgt. Vince Inaudi said the children appeared to be sleeping when they were shot. The evidence was consistent with a murder-suicide,...

WASHINGTON, July 7, 2006 – Iraqi army forces conducted an early morning raid today in eastern Baghdad, Iraqi police repelled a terrorist attack in Baghdad today, and coalition forces killed two terrorists and detained five during a raid yesterday, military officials reported. The Iraqi army raid was part of Operation Together Forward, the Iraqi government's plan to improve security conditions in Baghdad. Insurgents immediately engaged the forces, and a firefight ensued. The purpose of the raid was to capture an insurgent leader responsible for numerous deaths of Iraqi citizens, officials said. Police from 2nd Battalion, 4th Brigade, 1st National Police...

WASHINGTON, June 30, 2006 – Coalition forces in Afghanistan today killed 14 enemy fighters at a Taliban safe house and killed one enemy fighter and captured eight others in a separate raid, military officials reported. A coalition patrol in the Kamdesh district in Nuristan province tracked a band of 14 extremists traveling with AK-47s and rocket-propelled grenades and attacked them once they reached their safe house, destroying two buildings in the compound, officials said. Afghan National Army and coalition forces seized the compound and identified 14 dead enemy combatants. No ANA or coalition soldiers or civilians were injured in the...

WASHINGTON, June 28, 2006 – A coalition soldier was killed and three others were injured today when their vehicle struck a land mine in Afghanistan's Helmand province, and Afghan and coalition forces today killed 12 terrorists at a Taliban compound, military officials reported. The dead and wounded soldiers' uparmored vehicle struck a land mine likely left behind from 25 years of war, according to Combined Forces Command Afghanistan officials. "We sincerely regret the loss of our fellow soldier today; his sacrifice will not be forgotten," Army Maj. Gen. Benjamin C. Freakley, commander of Combined Joint Task Force -76, said. "Our...

WASHINGTON, June 27, 2006 – Afghan National Army soldiers and coalition forces killed 10 extremists yesterday in a raid on a Taliban compound belonging to a known weapons and bomb distributor, U.S. military officials reported. No injuries to civilians were observed during the operation, which was conducted in Uruzgan province, officials said. "We will continue to intensify our pursuit of extremists hiding in southern Afghanistan," said Army Lt. Col. Paul Fitzpatrick, a Combined Joint Task Force 76 spokesman. "We call on the extremists to reconcile with the government of Afghanistan. Our efforts are to improve security, economic development and stable...

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip - An Israeli airstrike against suspected rocket launchers in the Gaza Strip killed one senior Palestinian militant and injured at least two Friday, the army and Palestinian officials said. Earlier in the day, Palestinian militants fired five homemade rockets into Israel, a day after the Hamas-led government offered to renew a cease-fire. Though the rockets were not fired by Hamas, they are likely to endanger prospects for a return to quiet following days of intense bloodshed. The response came after nightfall, when Israel aircraft hit a vehicle carrying a cell from the Islamic Jihad militant group....

WASHINGTON, June 15, 2006 – A bus bombing in Afghanistan killed several passengers this morning, and Operation Mountain Thrust continues in the southern portion of the country, military officials said. A bus exploded near the intersection of highways 1 and 4 in Kandahar City at about 8 a.m. today. The explosion, caused by a bomb on the bus, killed seven and injured 17. It was believed to be a deliberate attack against Afghan civilians. Afghan national security forces and coalition forces have responded by assisting with the evacuation of casualties to the Mirwais Hospital in Kandahar City. "This is a...

GAZA CITY, GAZA Strip - An Israeli airstrike Thursday killed the top Hamas enforcer in the Gaza Strip, Palestinian hospital officials and group members said. Israel has accused militant faction leader Jamal Abu Samhadana of spearheading rocket attacks on Israel and of the fatal 2003 bombing of a U.S. convoy in the Gaza Strip that killed three American security guards. Two other people were killed and seven were wounded in a strike on a Popular Resistance Committees training camp. The 43-year-old militant had been No. 2 on Israel's wanted list and had tried to avoid detection by moving stealthily, switching...

WASHINGTON, June 4, 2006 – In what was described as an accident during training, a U.S. unit fired an artillery shell June 2 that killed three Iraqi civilians, military officials in Iraq reported today. Officials also announced the capture yesterday of 19 terror suspects in eastern Baghdad. On June 2, a Task Force Band of Brothers unit fired an artillery round from a military base near Baqubah, Iraq, that landed in an inhabited area, officials said. The unit, from the 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, fired a 155 mm round from a Paladin self-propelled howitzer during training,...

SHANGHAI (AP) - Tropical Storm Chanchu swept into the East China Sea Friday leaving behind a path of destruction in southern China, where it killed at least 11 people and left 27 Vietnamese fishermen missing after their boats sank in Chinese waters. Chanchu, downgraded early Thursday from a typhoon, has killed at least 50 people in Asia, including 37 last weekend in the Philippines, where it destroyed thousands of homes. There were fears the death toll could rise dramatically. Chanchu hit China Thursday, flooding scores of homes and forcing the evacuation of more than 1 million people before weakening to...

WASHINGTON, May 14, 2006 – Terrorists killed 14 Iraqi citizens and injured at least six others in an attack today in western Baghdad. In other news, coalition forces raided a terrorist safe haven near Julaybah yesterday, killing three terrorists and detaining four suspects, officials in Iraq reported today. In today's attack, two vehicles packed with explosives detonated near a Camp Victory complex checkpoint. Initial reporting indicates that the terrorists blew themselves up in a parking lot east of the coalition forces' base. Their target wasn't the compound, bur rather, Iraqis congregated in a parking lot, officials said. Those injured were...

Security Issue Kills Domestic Spying ProbeBy DEVLIN BARRETT, Associated Press Writer 12 minutes ago WASHINGTON - The government has abruptly ended an inquiry into the warrantless eavesdropping program because the National Security Agency refused to grant Justice Department lawyers the necessary security clearance to probe the matter. The Justice Department's Office of Professional Responsibility, or OPR, sent a fax to Rep. Maurice Hinchey (news, bio, voting record), D-N.Y., on Wednesday saying they were closing their inquiry because without clearance their lawyers cannot examine Justice lawyers' role in the program. "We have been unable to make any meaningful progress in our...

BAGRAM AIR BASE, Afghanistan, May 8, 2006 – A coalition air strike killed four enemy extremists and destroyed a truck and a cave complex today in the Bermel district of Afghanistan's Paktika province, military officials reported. Other insurgents may be buried in the rubble, officials said. Prior to the strike, a joint combat team of Afghan National Army and U.S. ground forces saw people loading a truck near the cave and determined they were moving rockets from a cave complex and that the activity was linked to recent rocket attacks on a nearby coalition base. Close-air support was used to...

KABUL, Afghanistan - U.S. airstrikes on a cave complex near Afghanistan's border with Pakistan on Monday killed four Taliban militants and destroyed a truck loaded with rockets, the U.S. military said. Military officials in Pakistan said that helicopters fired missiles into Pakistani territory, and officials opened an investigation into whether U.S. aircraft were involved. But Lt. Col. Paul Fitzpatrick, a U.S. military spokesman, said the strike was one or two miles inside the Afghan border and that no missiles landed inside Pakistan. A U.S. military statement said that coalition forces were in direct communication with Pakistani forces on the other...

Cattle ranchers in the Paradise Valley say shipping weights have declined since wolves were reintroduced to Yellowstone National Park in 1995. They say their cattle stay close to gates instead of grazing entire pastures. Wary animals tend to eat less than relaxed animals.

An 18-year-old Singaporean student committed suicide last month because he was convinced his penis was too small, a report said on Wednesday. State Coroner Tan Boon Heng said the case highlighted the importance of sex education in schools and recommended the details be forwarded to the education ministry, the Straits Times reported. The teenager, who was not named, jumped from a building on March 3. A suicide note explained why, an investigation to determine the cause of death said. "He said it was not due to the stress of his examination, but it was more about his physical development... He...

BAGHDAD, Iraq - A car bomb exploded Wednesday as worshippers left a Shiite mosque northeast of Baghdad, killing at least 20 people and injuring 32, police said. The blast occurred near the Huwaider mosque in a village near Baqouba, 35 miles northeast of Baghdad, police Lt. Col. Falah al-Mohammedawi said.

Avian flu kills swan in Scotland By Anil Dawar (Filed: 06/04/2006) A wild swan has been found dead from avian flu in Scotland. Preliminary tests found "highly pathogenic H5 avian flu" in a sample from the bird, the Scottish Executive said. The bird was found near the coast in an emaciated condition, about nine miles from St Andrews, in Fife. A two-mile exclusion zone was set up around Cellardyke while scientists continued to examine the bird to discover if it was carrying the H5N1 strain of the virus, which can be fatal to humans. Poultry farmers and bird owners in...

KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan, April 1, 2006 – A suicide car bomber attacked a combined Afghan and coalition convoy in the Maiwand district of Afghanistan's Kandahar province around noon today, slightly injuring one Afghan soldier and flattening a truck tire, military officials reported. Preliminary coalition reports indicate the attack caused no civilian injuries or deaths. The attacker was killed when the car he was driving exploded near the convoy. "The cooperation between Afghan authorities and the coalition across southern Afghanistan will not be disrupted or broken by these acts of senseless violence," said U.S. Army Brig. Gen. David Fraser, commander of...

WASHINGTON, March 29, 2006 – An MQ-1B Predator unmanned aerial vehicle engaged three insurgents in the process of planting a homemade bomb along a road near Balad Air Base, Iraq, yesterday evening and launched an AGM-114 Hellfire missile against the group. The Predator monitored the three terrorists for about a half hour while they used a pick ax to dig a hole in the road, placed an explosive round in the hole, and strung wires from the hole to a ditch on the side of the road. When it was clear the individuals were placing a bomb, the Predator launched...

WASHINGTON, Feb. 26, 2006 – A vehicle bomb killed five Iraqis today, and Iraqi and U.S. soldiers have continued to arrest suspected terrorists and find weapons, military officials reported. Two Iraqi adults and three children were killed in Hillah when a minivan, which had been used as a taxi, exploded. The minivan was traveling in the southern district of Hillah when it reportedly was stopped. An unidentified man left the vehicle, entered a red sedan, and drove away. Moments later, the minivan exploded. The minivan's occupants suffered minor injuries and were taken to the Hillah medical treatment facility, officials said....

Baghdad mortar barrage kills 16 Doura district has often been attacked by insurgents A barrage of mortar attacks in southern Baghdad has killed at least 16 Iraqis and injured more than 40. A police source told the BBC that a total of eight mortars had been fired into the mainly Shia area of Doura. The attacks come after days of sectarian tensions that have left at least 165 dead since Wednesday. Political and militia leaders say they have made progress in talks to curb the violence that was sparked by the bombing of a major Shia shrine. However, an explosion...

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Bombs and gunfire killed about 60 people as another daytime curfew Saturday failed to halt violence that has claimed nearly 200 lives since the destruction of a Shiite shrine set off a wave of retribution against Sunnis and pushed Iraq toward civil war. In an unusual round of telephone diplomacy, President Bush spoke with seven leaders of Shiite, Sunni Arab and Kurdish political parties in a bid to defuse the sectarian crisis unleashed by the bombing of the Shiites' Askariya shrine in Samarra. Bush "encouraged them to continue to work together to thwart the efforts of the...

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Gunmen shot dead 47 civilians and left their bodies in a ditch near Baghdad Thursday as militia battles and sectarian reprisals followed the bombing of a sacred Shiite shrine. Sunni Arabs suspended their participation in talks on a new government. At least 111 people were believed killed in two days of rage unleashed by Wednesday's attack on the Askariya shrine in Samarra, a mostly Sunni Arab city 60 miles north of Baghdad. The hardline Sunni Clerical Association of Muslim Scholars said 168 Sunni mosques had been attacked around the country, 10 imams killed and 15 abducted since...

WASHINGTON, Feb. 21, 2006 – An improvised explosive device killed 21 Iraqi civilians today in Baghdad, and two Iraqis were killed and 11 were wounded in separate attacks, military officials in Iraq reported. Terrorists detonated the IED at 5:30 p.m. in Abu Dshair in the Doura district of Baghdad. Another 25 Iraqis were wounded in the attack. Iraqi police and soldiers from Multinational Division Baghdad responded to the scene of the attack. Elsewhere, two Iraqi Public Order Brigade officers were killed and two were wounded today when a terrorist detonated a roadside bomb southeast of Baghdad. One Iraqi civilian was...

confirmed killed by wolves... the confirmed kills varied from the reported animal deaths and values, which came to 40 animals valued at roughly $40,000. He cautioned people not to draw conclusions about the confirmed numbers, because unconfirmed kills are often those in which the livestock is discovered too late to actually identify, by tracks, tooth marks or other means, the actual cause of death. Their agency is part of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) in the U.S. Department of Agriculture, though they often are mistaken for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which is part of the...

Stone Age tribe kills fishermen who strayed on to island By Peter Foster in New Delhi (Filed: 08/02/2006) One of the world's last Stone Age tribes has murdered two fishermen whose boat drifted on to a desert island in the Indian Ocean. The Sentinelese, thought to number between 50 and 200, have rebuffed all contact with the modern world, firing a shower of arrows at anyone who comes within range. Sentinelese tribesmen prepare to fire arrows at the coastguard helicopter after the fishermen's murder They are believed to be the last pre-Neolithic tribe in the world to remain isolated and...

WASHINGTON, Jan. 30, 2006 – A bombing near a candy store in Iraq and the capture of suspected terrorists and weapons top news reported today by military officials in Baghdad. A bomb exploded yesterday near a candy story in Iskandariyah, 30 miles south of Baghdad, rocking several businesses and killing 10 Iraqi civilians and wounding three .American military units from the 2nd Battalion, 8th Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Division's quick response force were dispatched to the blast to investigate. The incident is under investigation by Iraqi authorities. In southern Baghdad, soldiers on patrol with the 1st Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment,...

BOGOTA, Colombia -- A Colombian man who tried to startle his nephew from a bout of the hiccups by pointing a gun at him accidentally pulled the trigger and killed him. Police in the northern city of Barranquilla said the distraught uncle then ran out of the house and down the street a few yards before stopping and shooting himself. He died from a gunshot wound in the head. According to police, the incident occurred Sunday night after the two men had been drinking.

WASHINGTON, Jan. 17, 2006 – A suicide car bomber killed four Iraqi police officers and one child and wounded 16 civilians and two Iraqi police officers yesterday at an Iraqi police checkpoint near Muqdadiyah, Iraq, officials reported. Officials said the attack was initiated by a flurry of small-arms fire followed by the devastating blast. Coalition forces from a nearby base responded to the attack and assisted with the post-blast investigation. Officials emphasized that reporting terrorist activity is the best way for local residents to help end violence in their neighborhoods and protect their families and homes. Cash rewards are available...

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan was bracing for more snow on Friday after some of the heaviest snowfall on record that has left 57 people dead and paralysed transport. Almost 4 metres (13 ft) of snow has piled up in the worst-hit areas of Niigata near the Japan Sea coast, though the snowiest season of the year is yet to come. Television pictures showed drifts burying the ground floors of houses and almost covering street lamps. A 93-year-old woman and her daughter were crushed to death in Ishikawa Prefecture, 300 km (186 miles) northwest of Tokyo, on Thursday when their house...

Drugs stockpiled as bird flu kills two By Celia Hall and Amberin Zaman (Filed: 06/01/2006) Four million doses of anti-flu treatment have been stockpiled, the Government said yesterday as Turkey confirmed two deaths from bird flu.A health department official said Britain's reserve was growing by 800,000 doses a month and the 14.6 million target was likely to be reached in late summer at a cost of £200 million. The Turkish deaths were believed to be from the deadly H5N1 strain of avian flu that has killed more than 70 people in east Asia. Officials said tests on a teenage brother...

ST. PARIS, Ohio -- Steven Zorn had put the pen gun to his head and clicked before, thinking it was jammed and would not work. But on the third try, the tiny, silver pistol went off as the 22-year-old budding rap singer was drinking to celebrate an impending record deal. He died later at the hospital. The shooting Nov. 18 at Zorn's home in this rural village of 2,000, about 50 miles northeast of Dayton. Family, friends and law enforcement officials believe it was accidental. Family and friends said Zorn drove himself to succeed in the music world. He loved...